Yes, that is one large man, but his story goes beyond his size. The native of Tonga had never played a snap of football before when former BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall offered him a scholarship. Cougars assistant Steve Kaufusi, still with the program on the staff of Kalani Sitake, spotted Langi playing basketball during a recruiting trip to Tonga and thought he was very light on his feet for his size.

Langi is a relative of former BYU star and current NFL player Harvey Langi, so there was a connection to the school, but it wasn’t until he stopped on campus on the way to beginning his LDS mission in Phoenix, Arizona, did Mendenhall offer him a full-ride.

Langi has since completed his mission and is on campus at BYU, playing nose tackle. He’s still learning the game, but Sitake said Monday he is “getting better every day.”

Here are a few other clips of Langi in practice. He definitely moves well for his size, though he may not have the quickest burst off the line of scrimmage just yet. He’s only been putting on the pads for a few weeks, so that’ll come with time.